What does reaching success mean to you? We got to thinking about this subject because of a short talk we heard on YouTube by Warren Buffet. As you know, he’s one of the richest people in the world. He was musing about some age-old questions such as “What is the true meaning of life?” and “How do you measure success?” He was 75 years old at the time of his talk. He is now 90. Buffet said when you get to a certain age in life, you won’t measure how successful you’ve been by the money you’ve made.  Instead, he said success is measured by how many people really love you. Since money can’t buy love, he said the only way to be loved is to be loveable.

One way to be loveable is to be trustworthy. Buffet also went on to tell a poignant story of a woman friend of his who survived Auschwitz prison camp in WWII. When they were talking about the importance of trust, she said the one question she asks herself now in determining who she really trusts as a friend is this, “Would they hide me?” Buffet continued that he knows many “successful” people in the world whose own friends and family wouldn’t hide them.

The YouTube clip we heard was only about three minutes long, but it contained some very powerful messages. We agree that having loving, trustworthy people in your life is a measure of success that no amount of money can buy. Life is filled with so many day-to-day tasks that may appear “urgent”, but in the overall scheme of things are not “important”. It’s easy to forget about asking ourselves questions such as, “How many people would hide us?” “Are we trustworthy?” and “Are we loveable?

So what makes a person loveable? And what makes a person trustworthy? First we’ll take a look at being loving and lovable. We try every day to live the qualities of being loving and lovable. When I (Lynn) became a young adult, I realized that I had been pretty selfish and uncaring, especially to my parents. I hate to admit that but it’s true.

Then I used the affirmation that “I am loving and lovable.” Over time, the affirmations, plus changes in behavior, helped me become more loving and lovable. Now, in our work, we often suggest people use affirmations when they’re trying to achieve something in their life. Our brain and body believe what we tell them. As I look back, I realize I missed many opportunities to be an authentically loving person. However, life is a continual learning journey to try to be better tomorrow than we are today.

It’s important to not only be loving to others, but also to ourselves. As Wayne Dyer said, “If you don’t love yourself, nobody will. Not only that, you won’t be good at loving anyone else. Loving starts with the self.”

Another trait of being lovable is being trustworthy. When the woman asked herself, “Would they hide me?”, what was she really determining?  She was evaluating to see if she could feel totally safe and trust the person with her life! Those are big “trusts.”

Hopefully, in our world today, we won’t have to be hidden from others in the same manner she faced.  Other types of trust come from knowing that you could call someone if you were in trouble or needed help and that person would set aside some time and life responsibilities to be there for you. Yes, we feel we are so blessed because of the rich relationships of loving, trustworthy people who are there for us.

What about you? Do you feel secure that your life is filled with some loving, trustworthy people?  If so, we encourage you to let them know how much you appreciate them and not wait for a time when they step in to help.

Also, what can you do if you feel you want to have more people in your life that you love and trust and who return those values to you? Learning to love and trust yourself is a stepping stone to attracting others who are also loving and trustworthy. Julianne Moore said, “Loving someone is giving them the power to break your heart, but trusting them not to do so.”

Yes, as Warren Buffet believed, real success, the riches in life, come not from money, but from having people who are loving and trustworthy in your life – and, if needed, would hide you.

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2021 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.